Thursday, November 28, 2013

Positive movement towards new CANDU reactors in Romania

Candu Energy Inc. says it has a letter of intent to develop two new nuclear plants in Romania on the site of two Candu reactors built in 1996 and 2007.
Candu Energy, a unit of SNC Lavalin, signed the agreement with Romania’s Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica (SNN) and China General Nuclear Power Group...

"Romania currently has two Candu 6 reactors, which provide about 20 per cent of electricity for the country of 20 million people.
CNG engineers are to visit Canada to study the project further. China has had Candu reactors for about 10 years." (CBC)

Mississauga, ON – April 10, 2013 – Candu Energy Inc. Acting President & General Manager, Phil Guselle, along with Senior Vice President Marketing & Business Development, Ala Alizadeh, were in China yesterday with representatives from the Government of Canada to mark the 10th anniversary of the commencement of commercial operations of the two CANDU® reactors at Qinshan, located southwest of Shanghai.
Completed under budget and ahead of schedule, the Qinshan CANDU reactors continue to maintain an over 90% capacity factor and are some of the top performing reactors in China.
...
A 2012 study by the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters found that building a pair of CANDU reactors outside of Canada would support over 2,200 person-years of direct, high-wage employment and over $2.5 billion in economic activity here in Canada.

Approximately 40% of the total value of a CANDU new build in a typical export market would be sourced from Canada. CANDU technology is critical to sustaining Canada's nuclear industry, which currently employs more than 30,000 workers in 150 companies across Canada.

Under budget and ahead of schedule

The two CANDU units are the first built in China and were delivered four months ahead of schedule and under budget. - Canadian Nuclear Association

Background - China General Nuclear Power Group

CGNPG's first nuclear station uses reactors designed and built by the French National Company, Framatome. Then it developed an improved PWR (pressurized water reactor) called CPR-1000[4]based on the French type. CPR-1000 is a fully Chinese designed and constructed reactor type which takes a large proportion in all the reactors being built in China, and is believed to be the company's main presentation of its innovation power.
In February 2007 CGNPG signed a contract with Areva to build Taishan nuclear station with Areva's European Pressurized Reactor, and the Xianning nuclear station will use Westinghouse Electric Company's AP1000. These two events makes this company among the first to build a nuclear station with generation III+ reactors. - Wikipedia